MLB Player News

Cabrera is not in the lineup against the Yankees on Wednesday.

Cabrera will get the night off after starting four consecutive games as Jose Reyes picks up a start at the keystone. Following a pair of three-hit games at the beginning of the month, Cabrera is hitting just .176/.200/.235 with only two extra-base hits over his past nine contests.

Smith went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 5-4 loss to the Yankees.

His seventh-inning shot off Sonny Gray, the first big-league homer of Smith's short career, ended the right-hander's night and kicked off a late but futile rally by the Mets. The 22-year-old has now hit safely in four of five games since being called up, and he should remain entrenched at first base over the final weeks of 2017 for the rebuilding squad.

Votto went 0-for-2 with three walks and a run scored in Tuesday's win over the Cubs.

Votto has now reached base twice in 20 straight games, tying Barry Bonds and Pete Rose for the second-longest such streak of the modern era. Ted Williams holds the record with 21. The 33-year-old is also just six homers off his career-high mark of 37 -- he recently told Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer that his power surge is the result of a changing strike zone and more inside pitches.

Hoskins went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's loss to the Padres.

Since beginning his big-league career 0-for-12, Hoskins has gone 4-for-9 with three homers and four RBI. Hoskins has hit cleanup in five straight games, and with his combination of power, patience and contact, he's looking like a potential fantasy difference maker down the stretch.

Hiura will make his first professional start at second base Tuesday for Low-A Wisconsin. He broke the news on his personal Twitter account.

While he did not need Tommy John surgery on his injured elbow, the Brewers had only deployed Hiura as a designated hitter prior to this news, allowing his elbow time to heal. However, he can now take the field without any restrictions on his arm. This only reinforces the notion that Hiura's elbow injury, which may have caused him to slip a little in this year's draft, will not cost him any developmental time. He is hitting .344/.384/.489 in 99 plate appearances since getting promoted to the Midwest League, and is clearly one of the top dynasty-league targets from the 2017 draft class.

Hoskins went 2-for-4 with his first two major-league home runs in Monday's 7-4 loss to the Padres.

Hoskins got off to a slow start after his promotion from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, going hitless in his first three games, but he now has hits in back-to-back starts. Manager Pete Mackanin told Matt Gelb of The Philadelphia Inquirer that he has been pleasantly surprised with Hoskins' work in left field thus far, but that he hasn't been tested range-wise yet. Hoskins will continue to see most of his playing time in left field until Aaron Altherr (hamstring) returns from the disabled list next month.

Rizzo went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and five RBI during Monday's win over Cincinnati, and he also was scored with his 10th game as a second baseman.

Rizzo snapped an 11-game homer drought with Monday's bomb, and he had just a single RBI during that slump. The slow stretches haven't lasted long for Rizzo over the past few seasons, and with a .262/.384/.505 slash line, 27 homers, 76 RBI and 67 runs for the year, they've also been few and far between in 2017. It's also worth reiterating that Rizzo might've earned eligibility at second base in some fantasy leagues, and his owners should check if he now qualifies.

Goldschmidt went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Sunday's 7-2 loss to the Cubs.

Goldschmidt has been a thorn in the Cubs' side during six matchups this season, contributing five home runs and driving in nine runs to go with four walks. He owns a career-best 1.031 OPS on the campaign and is trending toward a third straight 20-20 campaign, assuming he can record four more steals over the final month and a half of the season.

Bell is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays.

Bell has put together multi-hit performances in three of his previous four starts, raising his season average from .249 to .257 in the process. Despite his recent production, he'll get the day off with Jose Osuna filling it at first base and batting fifth. Of course, Bell will be available to pinch hit Sunday afternoon.

Flores will start at third base and bat cleanup Sunday against the Phillies, Marc Carig of Newsday reports.

Flores' path to an everyday role looked somewhat muddled after Dominic Smith was promoted from Triple-A Las Vegas to regularly play first base for the Mets, but the trade of Neil Walker to the Brewers on Saturday looks like it may open up regular at-bats for the versatile infielder. He'll shift over to the hot corner Sunday while Asdrubal Cabrera, who had previously been manning that position, moves over to Walker's normal spot at the keystone. Flores is also an option to see starts at second base, but his hot hitting since the All-Star break should lock him into consistent duties somewhere around the infield for the remainder of the season.